Care home bosses demand 'apology' after government 'no jab, no job' U-turn

Care chiefs are calling for “an apology” from the government for the ‘no jab, no job’ U-turn and say it “comes too late” for the nearly 40,000 care home staff who have already left the sector.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the U-turn of the Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment (VCOD) policy was a result of the lower threat to public health posed by the dominant Omicron strain in comparison with the risk posed by the Delta variant when the legislation was implemented for care home workers in November.

Care leaders have accused the government of forcing the “wrong policy” at the “wrong time”, with 37,000 unvaccinated staff losing their jobs in England. This policy directly led to “immense workforce pressures” and has helped trigger the “most serious staffing crisis for decades”.

The NCF said the government’s lack of “regard and respect” for care workers was “felt strongly” and wants an "apology" as well as "appropriate recompense" for the "financial and organisational burden" care home managers experienced when the policy began.

Vic Rayner, chief executive of the NCF said: “The government consulted twice on its plans to introduce the VCOD policy. Both times, it was clear that respondents did not support this policy.

“There is absolutely no doubt that the current VCOD policy contributed directly to the immense workforce pressures that were being experienced in care homes. This combined with a number of existing short- and long-term pressures to create the most serious staffing crisis for decades.”

The government has 'steam rolled through a chaotic policy'

A snapshot survey carried out by the NCF in February found 94 per cent of members thought VCOD had made recruitment more difficult and 56 per cent said it had been made much more difficult.

The survey also said the majority of respondents spent thousands of pounds attempting to implement VCOD with one provider spending close to £200,000 (£194,733).

“We need an apology," says Ms Rayner. "Along with steps to actively rebuild trust and respect, appropriate recompense for the significant financial and organisational burden this has place on organisations fighting at the forefront of a pandemic.”

“The government has consistently chosen to ignore the advice of those who work in the care sector, and has steam rolled through a chaotic policy with long term detrimental impacts on those who work in care homes and receive care and support.

“The government must now accept the VCOD policy really was the wrong policy at the wrong time; it is simply not acceptable to impose such a significant and controversial policy with absolute disregard for the views and expertise of the sector being forced to implement it, only then to suddenly revoke it with no recognition of the damage it caused.”

'We will not get them back again'

VCOD regulations for care home staff were made on 22 July 2021 and came into full effect on 11 November 2021.

In January, it was reported that 43 per cent of care home providers were closing their doors to new residents because of care worker shortages.

The Independent Care Group (ICG) said the policy exacerbated staff shortages in care homes. This situation was already “dire” because of the “pandemic” and the “impact of Brexit”.

ICG chair Mike Padgham said: “Social care providers are simply not listened to, and this is another example of the sector being regarded as a Cinderella profession.

“Because of the policy, many good people were lost to social care and will have found other jobs. We will not get them back again.

“When care providers speak, they do so from experience and from a desire to ensure we can continue to deliver the best possible care for the oldest and most vulnerable in our community.

“If there are lessons to be learned from the whole ‘no jab, no job’ fiasco then we hope it is for the government to listen more to those who know and care.”

'They put this mandate into social care, but not into the NHS'

Last month the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched its consultation on revoking the requirement for health and social care staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of their employment.

A total of 90 per cent of people who responded to a public consultation on the matter supported the move.

Care England said the decision to remove VCOD for care home staff "comes too late" for the people who left the sector because they did not want to be vaccinated.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England said: “The government talks endlessly about integrating health and social care, and yet they put this mandate into social care, but not into the NHS."

"In future, anything they do needs to be implemented system-wide because fragmented decision-making has unintended consequences.”